Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I would like to highlight the positive position of the passport service. It is successfully meeting the current high demand. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs. Over 230,000 passports have been issued in the first three months of 2023.

I have fully supported the provision of an online portal for passport queries from MLAs from the Northern Ireland Assembly and am pleased to confirm that this has been developed and will be launched shortly. The portal will facilitate MLAs to bring urgent cases to the attention of the passport service. It will operate on a similar basis to the Oireachtas phone line which Oireachtas Members use to query applications on behalf of citizens.

It is important to note that this channel will not function as a means of expediting passport applications. In each case raised by an elected representative, the passport service reviews the application. Applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency, such as urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad.

Currently, elected representatives of Irish citizens, including those from Northern Ireland, can make formal representations to me in relation to passport applications by submitting inquiries directly to my office. Passport applicants can also track the status of their application online via the passport tracker available on my Department's website. This is an excellent guide as to where an application is in the system. I encourage all applicants who have a query about their application to contact the passport service's customer service hub, where they can speak to a passport service agent via phone or web chat; 100% of callers to the passport service are getting through each day.

Again, as I said earlier in respect of passport offices in Northern Ireland and in the west of Ireland, the overwhelming strategy is to digitise the service and this is working very significantly for the applicants. We need to keep the focus on the easiest and the most effective way to apply. Without question, the digital strategy is the most effective.

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